TALK RADIO WATCH

Detroit pitches cussing fit over Limbaugh show

Exclusive: Kathy Shaidle recaps best of Rush, Hannity, Savage, more

Kathy Shaidle is a blogging pioneer whose FiveFeetOfFury.com is now in its 12th year. Her most recent book â€“ "The Tyranny of Nice: How Canada Crushes Freedom in the Name of Human Rights, and Why It Matters to Americans" â€“ features an introduction by Rush Limbaugh guest host Mark Steyn.

Mark Steyn sat in for Rush Limbaugh on Monday and criticized Chrysler’s Super Bowl ad starring Eminem. Steyn explained that greedy unions and Democratic misrule had caused the Motor City’s decline, and no 30-second commercial could fix that (FREE audio):

The response from city residents was overwhelming – and proved Steyn’s point that illiteracy was also a major problem in Detroit: As the city’s newspaper reported, the “purple, expletive-sodden e-mails [Steyn received] from UAW members would peel the paint off the wall if they were verbalized.”

Rush was back on Tuesday, with a 45-minute interview with former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Limbaugh asked Rumsfeld tough questions about his time in the Bush White House.

The “industry bible,” Talkers Magazine, unveiled its new 2011 “Heavy Hundred” list of the most important men and women in talk radio. Not surprisingly, Michael Savage retained his coveted place in the top five.

An ingenious suggestion from columnist Kevin Rennie: to punish Great Britain for releasing the Lockerbie bomber, America should ban Prince Andrew from entering the U.S. Rennie cites England’s bizarre banning of Michael Savage from its shores to make his case.

He took a break from political topics to talk about wine, particularly a red Bordeaux he’d just discovered (FREE audio).

Sean Hannity

On Monday, Sean couldn’t contain his excitement that his Super Bowl prediction came true once again this year. “We’re now six out of seven,” gloated Sean.

Sean Hannity landed the first interview with Donald Rumsfeld, to talk about his new book about his time as Secretary of Defense (FREE audio).

US Weekly’s website published a story Wednesday referencing comments Sarah Palin made on Sean Hannity’s radio show – quotes that turned out to be false. The “racist” quotes were part of a fake story at a news parody website.

Mark Levin

“Cool it with the Stalinist purge crap,” advised Mark Levin in his own inimitable way, over at his popular Facebook page.

He was commenting on the war among conservatives on the subject of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood. Levin advised Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard, for example, to “bone up on the American Revolution, Locke, Burke, Tocqueville, et al, etc., because you’re making an ass of yourself.”

On the topic of Obamacare: “Democrats are saying that Clarence Thomas should recuse himself when ObamaCare reaches the Supreme Court,” reports TheRightScoop, “saying his wife financially benefited from efforts to repeal the legislation. Levin says this is ‘sleazy’ and takes both Politico and the Democrats to task for even pushing this issue” (FREE audio).

Levin shared a recent Thomas Sowell column highlighting the shocking, surreal absurdities related to the EPA and the clean up of, literally, “spilled milk.” He talked to a Michigan dairy farmer who put this bureaucratic overreaction into perspective (FREE audio).

Laura Ingraham

“I’m pro-life!” That was Donald Trump’s rather surprising admission when he spoke to Laura Ingraham this week about his possible presidential aspirations.

Also this week: Financial expert Larry Kudlow sides with Laura on “the China question”; Bill O’Reilly shared behind the scenes information about his Super Bowl Sunday interview with President Obama; Victor Davis Hanson mocked Obama’s call for a national network of high speed rail; and Senator Mitch McConnell talked to Ingraham about “moving the GOP agenda forward” (FREE audio).

Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck has been under fire all week for pointing out the Muslim Brotherhood’s sinister plans for Egypt and beyond. Many establishment Republicans condemned Beck by name, and even accused him of inventing conspiracies about a looming Islamic caliphate “as a money-making swindle.”

Beck defended himself on the air, pointing out that Bill Kristol’s own magazine published a letter from Al Qaeda’s second in command which called for a worldwide caliphate (FREE webcam).

The pro-life group Live Action made headlines with its videotaped undercover “sting” operation at various Planned Parenthood abortion clinics. Glenn Beck interviewed the young leader of Live Action, Lila Rose (FREE webcam).

And now, from the left side of the dial …

Is it really possible that both “left and right [are] equally frustrated with Barack’s elitist Wall Street/banking buddies?”